Cirque du Soleil star dies following onstage fall

A post shared by Yann Arnaud (@yannarnophoto) on Mar 16, 2018 at 4:51pm PDT

According to local reports, experienced French performer Yann Arnaud, who had appeared in Cirque shows for the last 15 years, was performing his aerial straps routine in Tampa, Florida on Saturday when he lost his grip and fell, stopping the show. Arnaud later died of his injuries at a local hospital.

In a statement released by the company, Cirque's president and chief executive Daniel Lamarre said: "The entire Cirque du Soleil family is in shock and devastated by this tragedy."

Arnaud is the third death involving a Cirque performer in the company's 34-year history.

The final two scheduled performances of Volta in Tampa were cancelled.

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